Family suspects adult online friend in girl's disappearance

The parents of a schoolgirl who disappeared three days ago suspect that their 13-year-old daughter may have left to join a 25-year-old online friend. According to the girl«s mother, her daughter met Sergei from Krasnodar about a year ago in an online game.

“When she told me about the new friend, of course I explained that it was wrong and dangerous. She was probably satisfying some adolescent interests. Online dating is popular now. But when you try to explain something to a child at that age, it«s hard to get through,” the girl»s mother told MSK1.RU.

The woman believes the man initiated the contact. She suspects that despite her ban, her daughter may have continued communicating with the online friend. In May, when the school year ended, the mother took away the girl«s phone. According to the mother, the daughter did not object.

“I think she found ways to communicate with him,” says the mother of the missing schoolgirl. “Yesterday we spoke with this guy on the phone. He said he doesn«t know where my daughter is. He spoke quite calmly, there was no feeling that he was nervous. Maybe it was to throw us off the scent.”

According to the mother, law enforcement is checking Sergei«s possible involvement. All contact information about him is already in the hands of the authorities. The relatives only know his in-game nickname where he met the girl. According to MSK1.RU, the man may be abroad.

“Was she charmed by him? I think yes. When a mother says «no» or contradicts, the child stops listening. Maybe he promised her «mountains of gold.» As a young girl, she might have believed him. I have a theory that she deleted some messages from her phone,” the mother of the missing girl noted in an interview with MSK1.RU.

The girl left her home on the evening of July 19. She wanted to find a lost piece of jewelry on the street. She was supposed to return home in 20 minutes, so she took only a flashlight. All of her personal belongings remained on the table.

It is known that for the past two months, the girl had not used a phone, so tracking her via communication devices is impossible. The girl lived with her mother and two younger brothers. At the time of her disappearance, the mother was at work. Upon discovering the disappearance, the mother filed a police report.

The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case regarding the schoolgirl«s disappearance. Alongside law enforcement, hundreds of volunteers are taking part in the search. Earlier, we published a report on how the search for the 13-year-old girl in the Moscow region is proceeding. Read also about what happened at the search headquarters on the second day after her disappearance.